This article will tell you how to preserve the freshness of cut flowers.
A lively bouquet always gives a smile and uplifting. And in the middle of winter he looks like a little miracle. How to save this summer gift so that the beauty and fragrance of flowers does not evaporate unexpectedly quickly? To do this, you should take care of the quality of flowers at the stage of purchase and follow the simple rules of floristics.
While shopping for flowers, meticulously inspect them. So, chrysanthemums should not have their edges cut, and roses should not have a lower row of petals. From such a flower tent is better to go away. Distrust should also cause a flower, dressed in the so-called "skirt" or tied with an elastic band. This means that the bud needs additional support, without which it will quickly die. Preference should be given to flowers with not fully opened buds - an open flower will wither more quickly, and completely closed, may not bloom, due to lack of strength.
A bouquet of the same type of flowers is much easier to keep than a composition made up of many different flowers. The fact is that each plant has different requirements for water and its temperature, as well as for lighting the room. Even the processing of stems must be approached in different ways.
There are antagonist flowers that cannot stand the neighborhood. Carnations, lilies, tulips, daffodils and orchids do not like anyone. They emit toxic substances that lead to wilting of nearby plants. But there are also healers. For example, a branch of cypress or thuja will help preserve the bouquet, by improving the microclimate inside and around it.
Strongly tied bouquet is stored much worse than free, due to limited water access. Due to this, the stems infect each other and rot. The same rule applies to the size of the vase, the stalks in it should not be closely.
The lower stems of flowers should be completely free of leaves, and roses should be free of thorns. The soft tissue of the leaves quickly decays and promotes the proliferation of bacteria in the water, which leads to the early death of the flower. In some plant species (such as lilies and tulips), stamens are also removed to prolong the flowering period.
If it is not immediately possible to put flowers in a vessel with water, then create wet conditions for them (cover with cellophane on top, wrap in a wet newspaper). You should not keep flowers warm, except for the "sissy" of orchids that do not tolerate cold.
In all colors, the structure of the stem is different and it is necessary to make it so that it absorbs more water. Stems with joints (like a carnation) are pruned where there is a thickening. Hollow stems (lupine, delphinium, dahlia) saturate with water, turning the flower upside down, and, squeezing with a finger, sharply dipped into a vase with water.
When cutting, milk stalks (euphorbia, poinsettia, poppy seeds) are filled with milky juice that pollutes the water, so a fresh slice is immersed in boiling water for a few seconds or gently singed with fire. Lignified stems (lilac, rose) split with a knife or soften from below with a hammer. And the stems of callas and gerberas should be treated with salt. In other colors, pruning is done along an oblique line, thereby increasing the area for feeding.
It is forbidden to put bouquets near fruit, in particular around oranges and apples. Ripe fruit exudes ethylene, disastrous to flowers.
Plants do not like drafts, they drain them. For the same reason, do not put bouquets near the battery and under direct sunlight. But frequent spraying prolongs the life of any bouquet.
Repeatedly change the water, cut the stems, it will not allow bacteria to multiply rapidly. But there are rules here too. It is necessary to update sections under a stream of water so that air bubbles do not fall into the stems and do not clog up the plant tissues. Otherwise, the flower will die from a lack of moisture, even while in the water.
There are additives for water that are not difficult to do yourself. For example, adding an activated carbon or aspirin tablet to water. Or a pinch of citric acid crystals (can be replaced with fresh juice). Also refresh a bouquet and a teaspoon of boric acid. Salt, alcohol, acetic acid, glycerin and glucose solution also prolong the life of flowers.
If the bouquet consists of several types of plants, then they will most likely fade at different times. Go through it, leaving good flowers. They need to be washed, updated cuts and put in another vase. And if you wrap the bouquet in paper and hang to dry in a dry and dark place, then he will be able to please you for years.
